The Olympic Future of Taekwondo: When and how will be determined?

On February 12 and 13, in Switzerland, the IOC Executive Committee will hold a special meeting in which different issues will be discussed: one of them is to evaluate what sport will be left out of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Share this:

During the “125th IOC Meeting” which will be held in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina, among other things, it will be decided who will replace the current IOC President, Jacques Rogge, the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics and what sport will be left out and what sport will remain within the Olympic Cycle. But many things indicate that some issues will be decided months before, and in Buenos Aires, they will be just ratified.

To understand this issue a little more, we can give the example of the WTF General Assemblies. Usually, before the General Assembly Meeting, the Executive Committee holds a previous meeting where all issues the WTF wants to add, remove, or modify are thoroughly discussed and approved. However, the final decision has to be approved by the General Assembly. Has anyone ever seen an Assembly´s decision contradicts a decision already taken by the Executive Committee?

In this case, although the International Olympic Committee always tries to show its ethical and transparent side, something similar to the example given will happen, and apparently, everything will be already set, months before the Buenos Aires meeting.

Currently, there are 26 sports in the Olympic Cycle; rugby and golf will be present in Rio 2016 and with no doubt they will be present in 2020. The number of disciplines that the IOC wants for these Olympics is 28, but there are seven sports awaiting their chance to be part of the Olympic Cycle, so what will happen with sport number 29? Speculation indicates that Modern Pentathlon is the one out, and not Taekwondo.

Next week when the IOC Executive Committee holds its meeting in Switzerland they will talk about various issues, such as the scandals in cycling; it is speculated that there will be penalties, changes in leadership, but under any circumstance, cycling will be left out of the Olympic Cycle, and you know why?, Because cycling has excellent sponsors; and excellent sponsors mean more money. In fact in the International Cycling Union is requesting to have six official events in the Rio Olympic Games program.

Many people could wonder where the famous phrase “Citus, Altus, Fortis” is, and where the Olympic Spirit that promoted Pierre de Coubertin, Father of the modern Olympic Games is: “The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well”. The answer is to these questions is: In the past, many, many years ago.

During the meeting next week, the “Olympic Program Commission” directed by Franco Carraro, IOC Member, will submit a report suggesting what sport should be left out of the Olympics 2020 and at the same meeting the Executive Committee will decide what sport will be left out. Then, during the Sport Accord convention in St. Petersburg (Russia) from May 26 to 31, they will decide which sport will get into the the Olympic Cycle.

In this way, everyone will know what sport will be out and what sport will get in four months before the expected “125th IOC Meeting” in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Delegates will vote for two proposals, and the decision will be made by simple majority.